The identification of new and improved synthetic methods for making catalysts and catalyst precursors for use in highly active polymerization catalysis is of importance to the polymer industry.
The known catalyst (1-C6F5CH2-Indenyl)Ti(N═P(t-Bu)3)Cl2 has been successfully employed as an active olefin polymerization catalyst (see CA Patent Application Nos. 2,780,508 and 2,798,855). Previous methods for making catalysts of this general type, e.g., (1-R2-Indenyl)Ti(N═PR13)Cl2 where R1 and R2 are unsubstituted or substituted hydrocarbyl type groups (see, for example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0122054 and CA Patent Application Nos. 2,780,508 and 2,798,855) as well as methods for making important precursor molecules, although effective, are difficult to scale up to a commercially significant scale.